And, again, neither side could buck that trend as they played out a lively, if frustrating stalemate. Against the run of play Johan Elmander opened the scoring for the visitors but Albion replied through James Morrison.
Related ArticlesCoyle praises Bolton's attackFerguson urges caution over HargreavesPremier League tablePremier League fixturesTelegraph player raterSport on televisionA share of the spoils always looked likely for two teams which came into this fixture enjoying the prevailing football winds billowing in their sails.
Albion have so far confounded the naysayers who predicted a season-long languish in the lower regions of the Premier League and a speedy return to the Championship.
Currently sitting in sixth place, Albion pulled off a major shock last weekend winning 3-2 at Arsenal.
Wanderers too have started the season solidly and were only a few minutes away from taking the scalp of Manchester United last Sunday.
But although neither side could snatch all three precious league points, the game was nevertheless a fine advert for the Premier League.
Hardly surprising given this clash pitted together two young managers intent on practicing the virtues of progressive football in the unforgiving world of the English top flight.
Whereas West Brom manager Robert Di Matteo always intended to keep faith with his attacking philosophy from the moment his side won promotion, his Bolton counterpart Owen Coyle has had to steadily instil that ethos into a group of players conditioned into relying too readily on simple forward-line brawn under previous boss Gary Megson.
A win for West Brom would have propelled them into the top four if probably only for 24 hours. But they faced a Wanderers side knocking on the door of the top half with only one league loss this season.
As it transpired, neither side could raise their game sufficiently to win what is a bread-and-butter Premier League fixture when compared to their recent glamour encounters with the top brass.
But frustratingly for visiting boss Coyle it was to be another tale of his side failing to convert a draw into a victory.
The Baggies attacking midfield three of Morrison, Graham Dorrans and Chris Brunt, supporting the live wire Nigerian Peter Odemwingie, made sure they held the edge in the first half.
Brunt was impressive, testing the Wanderers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen on a couple of occasions.
Despite being second-best for most of the half, the visitors might well have gone into at the break ahead when, in the 13th minute, Gary Cahill rose unchallenged to put his header over the bar.
A far better second half saw the home side quickly re-established their dominance but were unable to find the breakthrough. They would pay dearly as the visitors took a surprise lead in the 64th minute.
Top scorer Elmander ran onto a cleverly-weighted ball from Kevin Davies and he lashed home with relish for his fourth of the season.
Four minutes later Petrov should have doubled Wanderers' lead but he fired wildly over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Urged on by the faithful West Brom pressed for the equaliser. It looked to have arrived through Odemwingie in the 77th minute but he wasted a gilt-edged chance.
However, the Nigerian made amends a minute later when he crossed for Morrison to head home a deserved leveller. An immediate second looked certain but Jaaskelainen brilliantly parried Brunt's close-range effort.
All pretence of defence was cast aside in the closing stages as both sides pushed for the winner but neither side could find that crucial breakthrough.
Source: Telegraph
Source: Telegraph